In the year that Marquês de Sapucaí celebrated its 40th anniversary, the Samba School Viradouro had the best performance among the 12 samba schools of the Special Group in Rio. This was the school’s third title, with the last one being in 2020.
The winning samba of Viradouro paid homage to the worship of the vodun serpent, originating from the west coast of Africa. The school made its entrance on the runway on Monday (February 12), the second day of parades. Following Viradouro, the top five included Imperatriz Leopoldinense, Grande Rio, Salgueiro, Portela, and Vila Isabel. These schools will join Viradouro for the Champions Parade, scheduled for Saturday (17) at Marquês de Sapucaí.
In São Paulo, the samba school Mocidade Alegre is the winner of the 2024 carnival, repeating last year’s achievement. In second and third places were Dragões da Real and Acadêmicos do Tatuapé.
The theme envisioned by the school for this year was written by the carnival designers Jorge Silveira and Leonardo Antan and suggests a revision of the concept of Brazilian identity.
“The year 2024 marks the centenary of the beginning of the historic journey that the poet Mário de Andrade undertook across Brazil in search of composing the patchwork quilt that forms our national cultural identity. Our parade aims to open the travel diary of the ‘Learning Tourist’ and accompany him on the steps of his expedition. Together with Mário, we discover the richness of our art, our territory, and our people,” explained Silveira.
Mocidade Alegre returns to São Paulo’s Sambódromo, Anhembi, this Saturday (17) for the Champions Parade.
Source: Agência Brasil